The turning point came early in the second quarter. After Columbia (4-3, 1-3) forced a fourth-and-9, a roughing the kicker penalty and a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct after the play on Yale’s punt extended the possession and set the Bulldogs (4-3, 2-2) up at the Columbia 23. Three plays later, quarterback Dante Reno found Graham Smith for a 23-yard touchdown with 13:41 left in the half, the opening score of the game.
Patricia & Shepard Alexander Head Coach of Football Jon Poppe said the moment was hard to shake, especially with special teams again part of the story.
“There’s some special teams things that we’re still shooting ourselves in the foot with, which is crushing to me,” Poppe said. “These mistakes are on me as a coach. We’ve got to get our guys to calm down and play with a little bit more resolve if things aren’t going perfectly.”
On the ensuing kickoff, the Lions muffed the kickoff in the endzone and tried to return it, only to be tackled at the two. Yale made it 9-0 moments later when Phoenix Grant tackled Brody McLaughlin in the end zone for a safety on th very next play. The Bulldogs then struck again on a 68-yard drive capped by Reno’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Lucius Anderson with 10:34 left in the second quarter for a 16-0 halftime lead.
Yale leaned on its run game after the break. Hugo Djeumeni Kemeni broke loose for a 63-yard touchdown run on the Bulldogs’ opening drive of the third quarter to stretch the lead to 23-0. Djeumeni Kemeni finished with 155 rushing yards on 23 carries, and Yale ran for 222 yards as a team while holding the ball for 33:41.
Columbia’s best response came late in the third. Chase Goodwin led an 11-play, 70-yard drive and hit Bryce Coleman for an 11-yard touchdown with 1:33 left in the quarter. Coleman added the two-point conversion, and his touchdown catch made it seven straight games with a receiving score. He finished with 10 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown.
Coleman also left Saturday with new Columbia first-year records for both receiving yards and receptions. He now has 636 yards and 51 catches on the season.
Yale answered in the fourth after Brandon Banks picked off Goodwin to give the Bulldogs the ball at the Columbia 36. Noah Piper drilled a 46-yard field goal with 4:08 left to close the scoring.
Goodwin went 24 of 48 for 207 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Reno threw for 134 yards and two touchdowns and added 23 rushing yards, while Yale did not commit a turnover.
Poppe credited Yale’s execution and pointed to the Lions’ defense as a bright spot as Columbia turns quickly to next week’s trip to Harvard.
“Tremendous game played by Yale in terms of how they executed,” Poppe said. “We did not play nearly well enough and that’s all on me. If we play defense like that, I’m pretty confident in how we can play football and how we can grow from this moment. I thought the defense played their tails off, and we need to be better in the other two phases to reward that kind of effort.”
The Lions will hit the road to face No. 13/16 Harvard, next Saturday, November 6. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
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Source: gocolumbialions.com
